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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638247">You and I</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhmoonforreal/pseuds/seventhmoonforreal'>seventhmoonforreal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Queen (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Long-Distance Relationship, Musicians, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, References to Depression, References to Illness, Romantic Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 11:14:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,712</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25638247</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhmoonforreal/pseuds/seventhmoonforreal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>London, 1975.<br/>A 23 year old young woman works in a record shop and dreams of being a musician, just like her soon-to-be husband.<br/>Her dreams are unfortunately thwarted by the latter, since he thinks that if she becomes a musician, he will not control her life.<br/>Her life is going to change completely when she gets the chance of being a guitarist in an all-girl-band.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Brian May/Original Female Character(s), Mike Rutherford/Original Female Character, Roger Taylor (Queen)/Original Character(s), Tony Banks/Original Female Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. She's peppy!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story has related illustrations.<br/>To see them check my tumblr where i will occasionally post them if you're interested!<br/>Also I am deeply sorry if i made some grammar/syntax mistakes.<br/>I am Italian, and English is not my first language, and moreover this is my first fanfic ever that's written in English.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Chapter 1</b>
</p><p>August, 1974</p><p>"This place is terrible, really." Freddie said, closing the studio door behind his back. The room was dark, cold and dusty. Very dusty, we could say. The last time the boys went there was to record their album "Queen II".<br/>
To be back there was humbling to say the least.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, shall we begin, darlings?" he asked.<br/>
Carrying stuff around was his least favourite thing, since those moments seemed to last forever. Every time it happened, it felt the same: bringing the instruments on the van, carrying them out, bringing stuff to the venues and then doing it all again when it came to take everything into the van again.</p><p>By the time they would load everything into their workspace, coupled with the amount of time it took tuning everything, it would likely be nearing lunchtime, and at that point, Brian's stomach would loudly growl. That man, despite being tall and slender, was a bottomless pit when it came to eating.<br/>
<br/>
"What shall we work on then, guys?" Roger came out of the van.<br/>
His blonde hair was ruffled, and he was mumbling as if he just woke up from a nap...and his breath was short. As if he was super tired.<br/>
The other three guys gave him disappointed glances, as he rolled his eyes.<br/>
He'd usually snap at that point, but in that moment, he decided not to.<br/>
Maybe because he was too exhausted to even get mad.<br/>
Behind him, there was a young woman, who probably was around 22 or 24 years old. Her hair was ruffled as well, and she was just wearing high-waist shorts and a bra.<br/>
Both her and Roger were barefoot.<br/>
<br/>
At first glance what would have made her recognisable in a crowd was in no doubt her hair, it was a fancy wavy bob with frontal bangs, but the most peculiar thing about her hair was its colour: half of her hair was black and the other half was white.<br/>
Her scarlet red lips were puckering around a cigarette, leaving red stains on the tip, the same stains she left on Roger's neck. <br/>
A groupie?<br/>
No.<br/>
Elli wasn't a groupie at all. She was Brian's childhood friend. A career as a musician was her biggest dream, but it surely wasn't easy, since almost no one in her life believed in her.<br/>
Despite her being rather libertine, earning money by doing the world's most ancient job was not like she expected it to be.<br/>
That's why Brian proposed her to follow Queen on tour. She could have seen what being a musician feels like, and eventually she could have found a job. And besides, the guy couldn't help but trying to help Elli finding her place in the world.<br/>
Things happen for a reason in life, and the feeling between her and Roger became something more.<br/>
That's why she left a sloppy kiss on Roger's lips before getting dressed in the van and leaving for a walk in the city.<br/>
<br/>
"So? Where shall we begin, lovies?" Freddie asked, while playing around with Roger's drumsticks, much to his irritation. It didn't matter how many times he tried to remind Freddie that HE was the drummer, and not him, Freddie couldn't resist but making Roger mad.<br/>
<br/>
"Well, there's this bass riff I've been working on..." said John, hesitantly. He always seemed to feel a bit unfitting in the band but he was so happy with the outcome of that riff, and he thought that the guys might have liked it. "I could play it and see if it's okay..."<br/>
"I'd keep on practicing with the drum riff i told you about." said Roger, while sitting.<br/>
"That one again?" Brian asked, frowning. He knew which riff Roger was talking about, since he started playing around with the tom.<br/>
Brian rolled his eyes.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>;;;</p><p> </p><p>Periwinkle Records was a vinyl shop in Ferndale, London.<br/>
The owner, Jane Periwinkle opened it while trying to start a new life after a tremendous breakup with her partner -- who left her while she was pregnant.<br/>
On November 1951, Jane gave birth to her only daughter, Ronnie, who became then the owner of the shop, in order to earn some money -- her future plan was to attend an University course.<br/>
Ronnie was almost 23 years old and she was working in the shop and employed her longtime friend Daisy. The two young ladies lived in the flat above the shop, now that Jane Periwinkle decided to move to a small cottage in the country, since she was retired.</p><p>Ronnie was what most people would call "a peppy gal". She was short, she had big, deep and dark eyes on which she was wearing black eyeliner, making them look almost cat-like. Her hair was soft, shoulder-length, curly and chocolate brown. She had four pearls on her ears, two for each earlobe, and both her bellybutton and tongue were pierced. <br/>
She was wearing a striped shirt, which was tucked in a high-waist miniskirt; black fishnets on her legs, and a pair of black tennis shoes on her feet.<br/>
Daisy, by contrast had a platinum blonde bob, sapphire-like eyes, and she had a pair of round glasses hiding her face, on which she had no makeup. She was tall and thin, she was wearing a tank top and a pair of large pants. A pair of sandals on her feet.<br/>
<br/>
"Shall we take a break?" the curly one asked.<br/>
"I'm up for it."<br/>
The phone rang. Usually, at that time of the day, Ronnie was about to receive a call from Anthony, her fiancé. He was a keyboardist in a prog rock band, which he was touring with, at the time.<br/>
Ronnie and Anthony had been together for two years and a half, and she was missing him more than usual. It was rather normal. When he was on tour, they used to spend hours talking on the phone and it was enough for her to feel loved as if he was next to her. <br/>
"Ronnie?" Anthony's voice came from the other side.<br/>
"Tony! Hi, darling..." she said, smiling from ear to ear.<br/>
Strangely, their conversation lasted just half an hour, since Anthony was in a rush, due to the concert he had to play at, and found some time to dedicate to her only.<br/>
However, their goodbye wasn't the same as it used to be. <br/>
"Have fun at the concert, darling. I'll be playing a bit tonight."<br/>
"I told you not to do it, Ronnie. You better stop. Music is not a women's thing. It could seriously affect our relationship, and I'm being serious. If you start a career as a musician, things will never be the same."<br/>
Ronnie's heart stopped and she gulped. <br/>
"...Alright." she whispered. <br/>
"Got to go."<br/>
"Okay."<br/>
"Ronnie..."<br/>
"What?"<br/>
"I love you." said Anthony, emotionless and pissed.<br/>
Ronnie bit her lip, trying to hide her tears. <br/>
"I love you too." she replied, while something in her voice sounded off.<br/>
She hung the phone, shaking her head and letting herself fall down on an armchair.<br/>
Ronnie loved Anthony more than anyone else in her life, but she couldn't understand why she wasn't being supported by him. Why couldn't he let her follow her dreams?<br/>
The truth was that Anthony was a jealous and insecure guy, and Ronnie was his first girlfriend -- to be precise, his soon-to-be wife. <br/>
Besides thinking that a career as a musician was a men's thing, he strongly believed that if Ronnie got into music, she would have gone around with other guys, and would surely cheat on him.<br/>
But it wasn't in Ronnie's nature. She was loyal and she always would put Anthony first, since they met. <br/>
She was too scared of losing him, of course.<br/>
But at the same time, she felt kind of oppressed.<br/>
She always loved music. She used to play her guitar with Daisy, when they were teens, spending their afternoons making the strings sing and eating scones.<br/>
Being a musician was everything she dreamed of.<br/>
And playing with Anthony would have been her fairytale. <br/>
Daisy saw Ronnie being gloomy.<br/>
"Usual thingies, eh?"<br/>
Ronnie nodded.<br/>
"Hey, Ron. Anthony's not here now. Shall we play with our babies?" Daisy asked, handing Ronnie a canned Pepsi. <br/>
Ronnie smiled while a curly chunk of her hair slipped in front of her nose. <br/>
What did she do to deserve such a marvelous friend like Daisy?<br/>
The girls spent two hours and maybe a bit more playing in the shop. Ronnie was making her left-handed guitar sing while Daisy was giving her best at playing her bass, alternating those moments to laughs, sips from the cans, and fixing Daisy's amp, which was making strange noises.<br/>
Ronnie started smiling again and forgot about that call with Anthony.<br/>
None of the two girls was aware that someone was listening to them.<br/>
<br/>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The girl behind the counter.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Someone heard Daisy and Ronnie playing, and definitely thought that it could be a chance.<br/>That someone is Elli, who decides to bring Brian and Roger to the store with her, and her intentions are clear: she wants the owners of that store to put up something with her, so that she can finally work in the music industry.<br/>They're all she needs: a guitarist and a bassist. <br/>But something gets in the way.<br/>And as Ronnie realizes how something in her relationship with Anthony is probably wrong, something gets in her way too.<br/>Maybe?</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Guess it might be time to admit it's not working, eh." Brian said. <br/>Two hours passed since they started working, and Roger was still trying to get something out of that drum riff in particular. Brian tried to help him several times, but the blonde guy's stubborn personality was prevailing.<br/>"I swear this is going to be something fantastic." said Roger, his frustration giving rise to his temper.. "Roger, the riff is cool, but don't you think you might be wasting time now? You couldn't get anything out of this when we were writing songs for the previous album...and it's been a week. Maybe you should focus on something else..." <br/>Generally, Brian was known for being the chill one in the group but in that particular moment, he was starting to run out of patience. He had ideas too, and wanted the other guys to listen to him.<br/>Reluctantly, Roger nodded, but as soon as they started discussing, Elli came back from her walk in town. The young lady wrapped her arms around Roger's neck, purring "So, how's the opus magnum coming along?" she asked him. "There's a record shop in town, you should check it out. It has interesting stuff..." continued with a mellow voice. <br/>Brian ruffled his curly hair with his right hand "Well, I think we can take a break. Shall we?" he asked his bandmates, while laying his guitar on the corner next to the amp. <br/>Roger had a tendency to refuse breaks if he was focused on something, but the only person he was willing to listen to was surely his beloved Elli.<br/>He got up, put his drumsticks aside and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's shoulder.<br/>"Darlings, I guess we're done for the weekend." Freddie yawned. "...shall we meet again here at the same time on Monday?"<br/>"Veronica and I are going to dine at my parent's place, and I have to be ready before seven, so...if you don't mind, I have to leave." said John, putting his bass in its case.<br/>"Perfect. See you on Monday, early and bright!" said Freddie, while putting his shoes back on -- being barefoot seemed to boost his concentration, he said...</p><p>;;;</p><p> </p><p>She had 30 minutes only to talk to him every day, and she cherished every second of those calls, since those were the only moments in which she really felt close to him. But the thought of his soon to be husband forbidding her to dream made her feel terrible and wrong. She was so blinded by love, she would have given up everything just to see him smile, but giving up on music wasn't that easy. She felt like Anthony's love for her depended on whether she became a musician or not. But making him mad wasn't in Ronnie's intentions, since it was true that Anthony was short tempered, but he also had a sweet and protective side, to which she simply could not resist. And live without.<br/>In fact, that late afternoon, Ronnie was in tears, feeling guilty for playing her guitar again, since it was her life companion. She was convinced that Anthony could have understood her, since they both were musicians. Great minds think alike, she thought.<br/>A tear ran down her left cheek, shining like a little diamond, while she was fixing a pile of second hand vinyl records under the counter, when suddenly the doorbell rang as three people entered the store. A young lady with bizarre hair, a blonde guy with a pair of sapphires as eyes who was holding her, and lastly, a very tall guy with long, fluffy brown curls, and a pair of eyes that resembled two wet amber stones. For a second, seeing that guy (who was probably around twenty-five or maybe even twenty-six) made Ronnie's heart flutter, and she kept on looking at him, focusing on the way his fingers moved while he searched through the vinyl records, and how his glance was concentrated. She didn't notice that the weird-haired girl was talking to her.<br/>"Are you there?" she yelled, raising her voice. Ronnie winced "Huh? Yes, how can I help you?" she asked, blushing to the tip of her nose. <br/>Elli, our weird haired girl rolled her eyes back: "Baby, you definitely look like an airhead." she laughed, while lighting up a cigarette -- which slightly annoyed Ronnie, since she caught some ashes falling down from the cigarette on the fitting carpet. "Sorry dear, I just think it's a bad day for me. I'm kinda...distracted." the curly haired girl replied, with an empty voice. <br/>Elli was known for being someone who went straight to the point during conversations, but she couldn't even start since she got interrupted by Brian putting a vinyl record on the counter, with the intention of buying it. And there, the guy laid his eyes on the girl behind the counter. <br/>"I'll take this" he said, sliding the Jimi Hendrix album he took from the shelf towards her, while rummaging his hand in his pocket to find his wallet, much to Elli's frustration. The girl went to Roger, who was looking at Daisy's bass, that was lying next to the wall, since she forgot to put it in its case. <br/>Brian was looking at Ronnie fumbling with the bills and smiled. She was a bit clumsy in her movements but still adorable and graceful at the same time.<br/>As soon as he realized he was staring, he looked away, blushing. "Here." said Ronnie, lending him a bag and the money change. While leaning closer to her to get his stuff, Brian could enjoy a whiff of her characteristic smell -- she smelled clean with a subtle faint of berries. "Thanks!" said Brian with a smile, to which Ronnie replied with a slight head movement.<br/>"Erm, do you need any help? We're about to close the shop." said Daisy, looking at Roger with a grim, since he laid his eyes on her precious bass. <br/>"No, thanks." Elli mumbled, bringing Roger out of the store. She wasn't used to being interrupted while she was talking and her aim was talking with the two girls. Moreover, her arrogant personality kept her from receiving their attention. Brian raised an eyebrow, confused. He shrugged and walked towards the door "Thanks again, have a good evening!" he said.<br/>"You too! See you!" as soon as these words came out of her mouth, Ronnie felt embarrassed, but he didn't notice.<br/>He smiled and nodded again, and he closed the shop door behind him. While the sound of his clogs rang out on the pavement, together with Elli's stilettos and Roger's sport shoes, Brian realized that stupidly, he hadn't even thought of asking the girl behind the counter her name.</p><p>;;;</p><p>"Got to go." Daisy snorted, closing up her bass case. <br/>"You're not staying for dinner, are you?" Ronnie asked while rolling down the blinds behind the shop window. Daisy seemed to blush.<br/>Her friend didn't notice that she changed her clothes and she was now wearing a floral dress and a pair of sandals. <br/>"I'm going on a date..." she whispered, while Ronnie's eyes brightened up as she hugged her tight. "Wait, you didn't tell me anything!" she squealed. <br/>Daisy was kind of an introverted and not very talkative person when it came to certain topics, but she recognized it was wrong not to tell Ronnie about her crush. In the end, they were childhood friends, and so she told her everything. <br/>The curly girl smiled "Have fun then! i'll wait for you!".<br/>Daisy nodded and said goodbye to Ronnie, who was now hanging the "CLOSED" tag on the shop door.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The soft orange glow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ronnie went upstairs, closed the door behind her, and took off her shoes.<br/>
She took a deep breath as soon as her little feet touched the floor -- It seemed like wearing shoes was something terrible for her, and she had to resist the temptation of taking them off during work time, which caused her to nervously shake her feet, as if they wanted to escape from those sneakers on their own.<br/>
She always walked barefoot at home since she was a kid, much to her father's anger -- and now, Anthony's.<br/>
Suddenly, the thought of Anthony reprimanding her for walking barefoot crossed her mind, and her heart stopped. It was "childish to say the least", in his opinion, since "only kids walk barefoot, and they only stop when they hit their pinkies somewhere".<br/>
It was true, Ronnie knew quite a lot about hitting her toes continuously, but this never stopped her from feeling her freedom to kick her shoes off. She used to ignore Anthony's words about that topic, but for the first time in her life it hit her.<br/>
Was she childish for real?<br/>
She shook her head, almost trying to wake herself up from that thought.<br/>
"Well I'm home alone right now, he's not here to complain." she thought, while letting out a little sarcastic laugh -- "pshh!"<br/>
Ronnie turned around, facing the window. London was shining like gold under the setting sun, whose rays were laying on the River Thames.</p><p>The young woman's eyes were glowing like ambers as she sat on the balcony, looking outside the window, while the soft orange glow of the setting sun gently caressed her brown curls.<br/>
A little tear ran fast down her left cheek, looking like a perfect diamond on her face.<br/>
Ronnie always had a strange feeling while looking at the Thames at that hour -- she was sitting at the balcony to entrust her thoughts to the ripples...and suddenly it felt as if the river felt the same as she did. And it showed her by the glittering light on the surface, given by the sunset.<br/>
That mixture of emotions felt like a tiny piece of bread stuck in her throat. There was something that made her feel sad, indeed -- together with a new feeling that kinda felt...familiar. As if she knew it was there but only recognised it at that very moment.</p><p>That moment didn't last for long -- her pet dog barked while trying to catch a moth that probably entered the house when Ronnie opened the window.<br/>
"Goldie, leave it alone!" she said, reprimanding the little animal, who immediately ran towards Ronnie while wagging her little tail and sat on her lap.<br/>
The girl was looking at her guitar in it's case, laying there as if it was calling her and telling her "please, make me sing again!".<br/>
"We already did too much" she replied in her thoughts, while wrapping herself in the curtain, looking at the void.<br/>
"Duh, what a day. Kinda...strange." she murmured, petting Goldie's head. "Shall we make dinner?" she asked the dog, who barked in response.</p><p>Ronnie went to the fridge and stood there for two solid minutes before starting to beat the eggs and steam some white rice.<br/>
Her thoughts went immediately to that young lady with the strange hair colour -- why was she so obsessed with wanting to talk with her at the counter? Why was she so sassy? And most of all why did she get so offended when that guy bought the record? "That tall guy...how can someone be that tall and not look intimidating?" Ronnie thought while opening a Pepsi can and bringing it to her lips.</p><p>.<br/>
.<br/>
.</p><p>Even the wind was asleep at that hour and the clouds were laying low on the horizon above pillows of more clouds.<br/>
The moonlight was beating on London, all around the silent streets, its crescent growing larger in a twinkle of an eye.<br/>
Ronnie was in her bed sleepless, her salt lamp as the only source of light in her room, while giving scritches to Goldie's head, who was snoring loudly on her stomach.<br/>
It wasn't Goldie's snoring that kept Ronnie awake, but it was that strange feeling. That strange familiar yet new feeling.<br/>
She felt as if something needed to happen, or change...she didn't even know -- "since when did I become psychic?" she thought to herself. "Nah, I must be tired. I just need to avoid eggs at night, I always forget they were a fear food...some time ago."<br/>
She turned off the salt lamp and tried to sleep.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Dove</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ronnie is still fighting with the ghosts in her mind, when she and Daisy hear some strange noises coming from a pub.<br/>After they discovered it's actually music, Daisy gets curious and manages to convince Ronnie to see what's going on.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“May I have it wrapped? It’s a gift for my granddaughter!” an old lady smiled at Ronnie while handing her a record on the counter. The curly haired girl laid her eyes on what the lady left in front of her and her heart suddenly stopped when she read “GENESIS” on the front cover of that album.She stared at the record for a couple of seconds that seemed endless in her mind. For a brief moment she felt felt like she’d been hit by a rocket then and there, just by reading that band name, the band where her fiancée Anthony played keyboards in.Her heart started to beat faster than normal, her head was spinning.<br/>
She even started to think that could have been the beginning of a stroke.<br/>
It was the creeping feeling that started at the base of the spine, a cold and frozen grip that made Ronnie painfully aware she had lost all control of her limbs, together with a strange lightheadedness. And it all lasted two seconds, until she finally was back on Earth again, ready to serve the customer.“Of course, which wrapping paper do you prefer? The checkered one or the polka dot one?” she asked the old lady who then adjusted a small pair of round glasses on her reddish potato shaped nose, just to take a better look at the patterns on the wrapping papers.In the meantime, Daisy was tuning her bass in a corner, sitting on the floor, her legs crossed on the turquoise carpet.“That would make 18£, Mrs. I’ll put it in a bag for you!”The old lady took a scarlet velvety wallet out of her purse and gave Ronnie the amount. “My granddaughter will be so happy, I’ve been searching for this record and no vinyl shop in town had it except yours, my little cupcake!” said then, lightly pinching the girl’s cheeks, with affection. “Thank you so much, have a good day!” she said then, walking outside the store with a giggle...

“Hey Ronnie, are you okay?” Daisy asked, noticing the paleness in her friend’s face.She had to sit down to avoid falling on the floor, still wondering what happened minutes prior. What on Earth was that strange feeling that hit her like a truck just by reading “GENESIS” on that record? Right, it was Anthony’s band name, but for some reason it hit her particularly in that moment. She could hear her man’s hands pressing notes on the mellotron, those long hands that used to caress her when they started dating. When was the last time her cheeks got caressed by Anthony’s fingers? She couldn’t even remember. She looked at her hand, a little diamond on her ring finger reminding her of that “Yes” she shouted out loud on that day. That moment when he hugged her so tight, thinking of bonding with her for the rest of his life, and when she smiled from ear to ear, at the thought of living a whole life in his arms, forever. She probably was realising something, but she was quite unsure of what. Either way, Anthony would have called her that night, and everything would have been washed away but his voice, as usual — she thought. “Yes, I’m okay. I guess I had a moment…my head started to spin.”“Girl, you probably are lacking of sugar! Shall we go for an ice-cream? That’d be helpful and maybe it could cheer you up as well, you seem to be a bit down!”Ronnie shrugged her shoulders, smiling. “Well, it’s almost closing time… guess we could go!”

And there they were, the two young ladies, the tall blond one and the curly haired shortie, walking through the streets of London.The sun was setting down and everything was covered by a sweet warm pink glow. Suddenly, Daisy stopped. She heard what seemed to be muffled music coming from somewhere.“Daisy, where are you going? I can’t waste time!” Ronnie shouted while her friend pulled her by an arm, walking fast towards the point where the music was coming from.“Wasting time? Excuse me, Periwinkle?” said Daisy, in a slightly offended tone. Ronnie stuttered “I need to be home before Anthony calls me, or I’ll be screwed!!!”<br/>
Daisy looked deeply in her friend’s eyes, and for a second, they looked darker than they usually were. Not to mention that they were already starting to swell up due to Ronnie holding back the tears, in panic. “It’s just a matter of five minutes, I promise. Ronnie, please.”.<br/>

Later, they were in front of the Dove, which was pretty full of people. Ronnie trembled a bit, as crowded places always scared her a bit — which was a bit controversial, if we think of it. If she wanted to become a musician, she needed to get used to it. — but followed her friend inside. “Just five minutes, Ronnie, just five minutes.” she kept repeating in her head to stay calm.The thought of Anthony yelling at her for not answering his call on time was haunting her but the thumping of the drums in the background was so loud that her mind became instantly foggy.The Dove was a music pub. Wooden walls, round tables, fairy lights, liqueur bottles on a huge shelf and a small stage in the centre, where a drum set and some instruments were being checked by some guys. A long haired blonde one, with sapphire-like eyes, was testing the drums.People drinking, flare jeans, clogs, tangled necklaces, the smell of alcohol and the smoke around created a strange atmosphere. Ronnie wasn’t feeling good for sure but a part of her was kinda adapting. It was definitely confusing, and while Daisy was pacing around, she noticed a familiar head, in front of the stage. It was a girl, and it had a strange hairdo, as well as its dye: half white on a side of her head and the other half was black. She was wearing nothing but a lace black bra and leather shorts, covered by a furry cardigan on her shoulders, a pair of high-heeled white boots on her feet. It was Elli.“Wait, didn’t I see her before?” she asked Daisy, who was having trouble finding the woman Ronnie was talking about. “Oh now i see her too! She came at the shop yesterday, didn’t she?”“Right! Together with two guys…I wonder what’s she doing alone here…”Little did they know that she wasn’t alone at all. Daisy tried to take some steps towards her while Ronnie was hiding behind her shoulder, silently begging her not to do it.“Hey, what are you doing here?” Daisy asked, nudging her lightly.As she turned around, Elli almost dropped her drink, holding the straw with her teeth. “What are YOU doing here?” she replied. “Well, we heard some music and I got curious…” Daisy tried to explain, but got suddenly interrupted by Ronnie “But it’s very very very late for me and I got things to do, you know, owning a shop is super hard!” she laughed, hysterically. “We have to go, right? Daisy?”She couldn’t finish her phrase or even move anymore, since more and more people approached the stage and she got stuck in the middle of the crowd. Ronnie started panicking, again, her heart pounding it was almost about to be right out of her chest, and she could hear it beating hard in her ears.“Work it, Roggie! Woooo!” Elli screamed at the blonde guy behind the drums, who was then joined by three more people: a vocalist, a guitarist and a bassist. The bassist was the youngest. Long, wavy, brown hair was framing his shy face, and he was wearing a black shirt, black trousers and black shoes. The vocalist was the most particular one, in terms of looks: he was wearing a strange piece of clothing, that looked as if he had white angel wings. His dark and deep eyes were defined by thick eyeliner strokes, and his features were kinda…exotic. Yes, he had protruding teeth, which made him look a bit strange too, but his jaw was sharp and perfect. His hair was black, and its length reached his shoulders. The guitarist was the tallest one, and as soon as Ronnie saw him, she silently gasped and her eyes opened wide. He looked familiar. His facial expression was constantly focused on playing, yet it had something sweet too. Ronnie kept her eye on his hands, the way he was making his guitar sing, it looked so simple, even if he was playing extremely complicated solos and parts. Her breath was still fast due to the crowd pushing her everywhere, but looking at him made her feel  somehow better. Or at least, it kept her from passing out or having an anxiety attack.She didn’t realise that time flew. And she stood there in the crowd until the end of that small gig.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A warm, pink melting candy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ronnie has an accident while at the gig and meets some new people who take care of her.<br/>While she recovers, she suddenly remembers that she missed Anthony's call.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She felt overwhelmed, kidnapped by those four guys and their talent. Her eyes were somehow still laying on the guitarist, on his hands, his thin figure, his thick and curly hair -- curls that were still recovering from months of ironing and straightening -- framing his angelic face.<br/>
He was always looking at the strings, while frowning his eyebrows, biting his lower lip and occasionally looking up and getting closer to the mic to sing his parts of the background vocals.<br/>
The white flamboyant piece of clothing he was wearing made him look almost ethereal.<br/>
All of those feelings that were almost making Ronnie pass out, kinda faded -- she still felt a heavy feeling on her chest, but it was somehow muffled by the atmosphere that the band was creating; the vocalist had such a unique way of entertaining the audience, like no one did.<br/>
She felt...home.<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
They ended their little medley, which consisted of two songs, but it seemed like hours to Ronnie. In the end, the band was here to open another band's concert. And that's when she felt her head spinning again, and her breath became heavy and fast again. Daisy and Elli noticed it, especially the latter, since she felt Ronnie's breath on her neck, and as she turned, she noticed the paleness on her cheeks.<br/>
"Ronnie, are you okay? Ron?" Daisy asked, cuffing her cheek lightly. "Ronnie???" she shouted then, while Elli turned and saw the scene: Ronnie couldn't stand on her own feet and was passing out.<br/>
Some people heard Daisy screaming and started worrying.<br/>
"Get her away!" "Call an ambulance!" "No put her in that corner!" -- many were the phrases and Elli got mad at some point "MIND YOUR OWN DAMN BUSINESS, YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTS!" she yelled, and despite everyone insulting her, carried Ronnie away from the small crowd, together with Daisy.<br/>
"Where are we going?" Daisy asked.<br/>
Elli didn't reply. She went to the boys who noticed what was going on and quickly left the stage.<br/>
Luckily the other band got on there soon, so they didn't have their little show ruined.<br/>
"What's going on Elli?" the blonde drummer shouted. It was Roger.<br/>
"Let's bring her backstage, don't ask questions!"<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
Something like ten minutes later, Ronnie heard some muffled voices in her head. She wasn't sure of what was going on, but she was still seeing all dark around her.<br/>
"Is she alive?"<br/>
"She is breathing, of course she's alive, you nitwit!"<br/>
The curly haired girl slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was still blurry but she could see some faces.<br/>
She suddenly sucked in the air greedily, like a newborn baby and got up very  fast, as if she woke up from a nightmare "I AM LATE!!" she screamed.<br/>
"Hey! Hey, no, calm down!" said a male voice, while gently rubbing a big hand on her shoulder, as she was panting.<br/>
"Anthony...he's going to kill me...he'll kill me..." she repeated continuously.<br/>
"Who's Anthony?" Roger asked Elli, who nudged him roughly with her elbow to shut him up. "I was just asking, Jesus Christ!"<br/>
Daisy was tearing up, if not crying in relief. Her best friend was alive and back to reality.<br/>
The warm male voice tried to calm Ronnie down once again "Shhhh, it's okay, everything is going to be okay..." it said, while two huge hands made her lay down on her back.<br/>
She realised she was in a backstage room, her legs were held up by a chair and the band members who played before were looking after her, together with Elli and Daisy.<br/>
"W-where am I?" she asked, on the verge of tears.<br/>
"You're safe." the voice replied. Ronnie looked up. It belonged to Brian, the curly guitarist that captured her eye during the performance she attended. He was keeping one of his hands on her forehead, while rubbing his thumb slowly back and forth on it, and he was holding her right wrist with his other hand.<br/>
"But...I should be home, or Anthony..." she couldn't even finish her sentence due to sobs, in addition to warm and big tears running down her cheeks like rivers.<br/>
"Who's Anthony, again?" Roger asked.<br/>
Daisy quickly whispered to his ear "He's her fiancée.He's a musician on tour and they phone each other every evening. He's quite bossy with her, but I think he just wants to make sure she's safe."<br/>
"The fuck is she doing here, then?"<br/>
"It's my fault...I brought her here with me..." Daisy started crying again, much to Elli's frustration.<br/>
"Okay, can please someone tell me what's going on???"<br/>
.<br/>
.<br/>
Ronnie was sitting on a little armchair, a cup of tea in her hands, Brian stroking her back, her eyes were swollen due to crying and her face was slowly getting rid of the paleness.<br/>
"Well you can always call him tomorrow, can't you?" Daisy asked. "You'd tell him you had to work extra hours due to last minute customers and you fell asleep very early...?"<br/>
"He'd never believe me."<br/>
Everyone stood silent for a moment.<br/>
The exotic looking vocalist, Freddie, took the word then, after two solid minutes of silence "Well, darling, you should rest for now, think about it tomorrow!"<br/>
"Right, I should go home." Ronnie said, trying to get up.<br/>
"Erm, lovie..." Freddie said "I think your conditions are still a bit..."<br/>
"Oh no, I can go home, don't worry! Thanks for taking care of me...I need to open the shop at a certain hour and..." she answered.<br/>
"Ronnie, trust me. It's better if you stay here." Elli replied. "It's just for one night, we'll be sure that tomorrow you're okay so you can go home safely." she looked at her roughly<br/>
"There's a place in the van, next to where Brian sleeps."<br/>
"If anything, I can check on you and call a doctor if you feel bad again. I'll take you home tomorrow morning and you and Daisy can open the shop." Brian said, looking at Ronnie with a reassuring smile.<br/>
"Alright..." she sighed.<br/>
"Hey, Ron. I'll stay here too, don't worry!" Daisy winked. "I'll never leave my best friend alone."<br/>
Ronnie smiled and nodded.<br/>
"You'll be safe, I promise you." Brian said, smiling again at the curly girl.<br/>
She looked at him, his amber eyes glowing in that suffused light illuminating the backstage room -- she felt her stomach melting into a pink warm candy.<br/>
And she felt...home again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Let the stars speak.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Anthony tries to call his girlfriend, and bursts in anger when he receives no reply at all.<br/>While, at the Dove, Brian and Ronnie find themselves stargazing and sharing a bit of thoughts, after she woke up in the van.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The telephone rang.</p><p>It was nine o'clock in the evening, and, standing on a drawer full or books, next to a little lamp, on the left side of a double bed -- made with two beds, one next to the other -- that was undone on one side, the little red, shiny device kept on making that annoying noise. And there was no hand to pick the damn telephone handset, as it usually happened. </p><p>It rang one, two, three times. Then, the person on the other side hung up. It wasn't so long after the telephone started ringing again. One, two, three times. Silence. The thing happened several times again and again, all within an hour. Those missed calls were probably about eighteen.</p><p>Calls who will have had furious answers the night after that. And in that moment, with a broken heart, Anthony gave up -- it was useless to keep on calling.<br/>
He wouldn't have received any answer. Again, he angrily hung up, nervously biting his lower lip, his forehead was wrinkled, which made him assume a not-so-calm expression on his face. He didn't care about the real reason why he didn't receive any answer, all he could think of in that moment was a way to make his girlfriend pay for her mistakes. In that chaotic labyrinth of thoughts in his mind, she was SURELY cheating on him. No matter what.</p><p>Could have been any other reason, she could have been sick, or she could have had some issues at work...but his jealousy and his trust issues in her regards were pervading him, and eating him from the inside, like some demon would do. Was he just missing her? They already went through a tour while being apart from each other, and everything went well that time. And when Anthony came back home, their love bloomed with such an intensity -- and they wanted to get married in the future. Maybe his girlfriend's -- soon to be wife -- presence, with all of her flaws...was it actually something he was missing so much to the point he became nervous about it? Since when this nostalgia became a sort of possession? He could never love anyone else besides her, and he was sure no one could have loved him like she did. If they broke up, he knew it: he'd never be able to love again</p><p>Ronnie's presence in his life was essential to him, as if she was oxygen. If she was absent, he felt incomplete. As if he was missing one of his limbs -- or worse, one of his organs, which were contracting due to his nervousness, making him feel blocked. The exact sensation you feel when you're about to cry. </p><p>Ah, Ronnie would have paid for that. Denying her future husband's love like that? Ignoring his calls? To him, that was unacceptable to say the least.</p><p> </p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>Ronnie was inside a van, under the blankets in a bunk bed, with an ice pack on her forehead and a bucket next to the mattress. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was running marathons in that moment. What happened? Who were those guys that helped her during her accident at the Dove? Why did she let Daisy bring her into that situation? "Had I known, I would have rushed at home..." she thought "...I wouldn't be in this mess.". But then again...why did she felt so strange every time that curly haired guy was speaking to her or even when he looked at her? What was happening to her? -- For a brief moment, her eyes were laying on the little window, from where she could see the starry sky. The stars and the infinity of the universe crossed her irises, and in that moment, the girl felt like she wasn't on Earth anymore. As if she was kidnapped by a galaxy's breath.</p><p>The door opened, and Ronnie, who was focused on watching the sky to get distracted, flinched under the blankets. She pretended to be asleep, while pricking her right ear to listen to every noise. Two people entered the van and the girl could smell beer, while hearing noisy steps. Some of them seemed like they were made by boots, while others by...clogs? </p><p>"It's early, man! It's ten in the evening, can't you have fun, damn?" mumbled one of the two men. -- his voice was both masculine and high. He was drunk -- and that's where the beer smell came from. A warm voice replied "Can you shut up? This van isn't empty" -- he was referring to Ronnie, assuming she was sleeping (while she was biting her tongue, in panic). "You're so boring, May. The day you'll regret it will soon come. You're 28 years old, damnit! What would you do when you turn 35? Learn to have fun, you're a rockstar!" said the drunk blonde man, slamming the door.<br/>
Brian, the one wearing clogs took a deep breath. He took those strange shoes off, and walked into a little closet, which was actually a bathroom. Ronnie could hear him brushing his teeth. She brought her blanket up her head, while she felt her cheeks becoming red.  </p><p>That guy's movements were so particular that Ronnie somehow understood that he was moving slowly, in a mannered way. His clothes rubbing his skin while he changed them from his stage outfit to a shirt that he used as a pajamas, the water running down the faucet while he washed off the foundation from his face, his breath...all of those noises sounded like they were caressing Ronnie's face, and she fell asleep.</p><p>.</p><p>She woke up in the middle of the night but woke up thanks to some draft of wind. It was summertime, but the temperature would get easily low in that place. It came from that little window, which was now open. She opened her eyes and saw Brian's silhouette, leaning to the wall, like an insomniac, while he was gazing at the stars. He heard Ronnie moving under the sheets, and looked at her. "Hey, did I wake you?" he whispered. Ronnie moved a curl behind her ear, and while being still half asleep, answered: "No...no at all." "You okay? Do you need water? Or something else?" Brian asked, apprehensively. "No, thanks, I'm okay...I was just cold." He quickly closed the window "Sorry, it's my fault. the thing is that when I look at the sky, I also feel the need to feel the wind on my skin. But I didn't know it gave you a hard time sleeping...sorry again...". Ronnie smiled back while noticing that the silver light coming from the moon was lying on Brian's curls as if it was kissing them. "Aren't you supposed to sleep...?" she asked him, feeling guilty: that guy was staying up all night to look after her. Brian shook his head. "No, I almost never do. I'm a night owl, let's say..." "...you can't sleep, then?" "Sometimes. But I am often the one who doesn't want to sleep in the first place. I feel the need to stargaze. Do you ever do it?" "Uhm, no, not always...why? I mean, I'd love to. But I usually sleep a lot because I go to bed early..." Ronnie's voice was literally a whisper. Brian moved his head as if to tell her to get close to him. </p><p>She got up and went to him under the window. For a few minutes they both stood silent, with their noses upwards, looking at the sky from that little van, that looked like a door to the universe and that could have brought them to the unknown, while the moonlight was caressing their faces. "Do you think there's something particular among the stars?" it was Ronnie who broke the silence. "Of course, I study them" -- and those stars reflected in the girl's eyes. "Are you...an astronomer?" she asked. Brian smiled "Well, not really...I was studying to become one but then the band project came along and at the moment I'm happy like this." he replied while she looked at him in awe. "When I don't study them I look at them and even if it seems silly I let the stars speak for me when I can't find the answers. I don't always understand them, But if I speak to them I know they listen, and you're allowed to think it's obvious they listen because they're silent..." he said. Ronnie hid a muffled laugh. What a guy. But that habit of his reminded her of something...."You know I rarely watch the stars but I sometimes gaze at the sunset from my balcony. I see the thin light line on the water and I feel like the River Thames is feeling the same as I do..." she didn't realise Brian was looking at her, fascinated by what she had to say. Ronnie stopped and blushed to the tip of her nose. "Well...I don't study sunsets...but I kinda understand you..." Brian laughed again. "You're weird, y'know?" "As if you weren't!" Ronnie replied. They both laughed, together.<br/>
"Well I'll go back to sleep. Thanks for everything." She yawned.<br/>
"Thank you too, for giving me a bit of your time."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Wasted chances.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And again, London was waking up in that August morning. The 7 AM lights were caressing the house roofs and the little morning dew drops were shining like gems, whether they were on the grass of the parks in the city centre, or in the small gardens of the suburbs. From the corners of the city, the smell of fresh scones and bread, while in the distant countrysides together with the smell of coffee, some rooster could be heard together with birdies. A small, gentle breeze was passing through the trees' leaves, that delicate wind that blows at that hour only, before temperatures would rise. </p><p>Two hours later, Periwinkle Records opened that morning. Maybe it was a few minutes later than usual, but probably no one would have noticed: Ronnie was always very picky with being on time, but at the same time she was aware of the fact that mishaps could happen, and they're part of life. Brian offered to drive her to the store, together with Daisy, so that they could start their daily job, despite what happened the night before. So, Ronnie was again behind the counter, while she was opening some paper tubes that contained pennies, in order to put them into the cash register and have some change ready for her customers. She was calm that morning, not that she wasn't usually, but she never felt THAT calm in years. She almost felt like a different person. And Daisy couldn't help but notice this, since in her opinion Ronnie's smile was "unnaturally carefree". </p><p>"You're so happy today, Ronnie. Is everything alright?" she asked, sarcastically, smirking and lifting an eyebrow. "Huh? Yes, why?" she asked back. "You sure?" "Daisy, what kind of questions are those? Of course I'm sure!!" she replied, with a confused laughter, before she turned around to fix some documents on a shelf above her head.<br/>
"Shall we play a bit later?" asked the blonde one, while stretching her arms and yawning. Ronnie turned towards her, but her eyes laid on the calendar: there was one day left before Anthony would come back. There was one day left. Still one day left. She sighed in relief. "Yes! I'll go and get my guitar, it's upstairs! We'll play during lunchtime!"<br/>
As she entered her flat, when she saw her guitar in its case, she got overwhelmed but the memories of the night before, when her and Brian -- the guitarist, in fact -- were silently stargazing in the van, where she slept, and she got pervaded by tenderness at the thought of him staying up all night to watch over her, scared that she could feel sick again. "That guy is definitely one of a kind." she thought "He speaks to the stars, even tho they will never answer him...what kind of answer would he expect from them though?" she giggled. Her thoughts got interrupted by Daisy's voice coming from downstairs. "Is everything okay up there???" she shouted. "Coming!" Ronnie answered before getting quickly to the store again.<br/>
.<br/>
.</p><p>"What? You already drove her back to the store??" Elli asked, raising her voice. Brian blushed to the tip of his nose, seeing his friend wearing only a bra and a pair of shorts, since she was sleeping ten minutes prior. "Well yes, she had to go to work, why?" the girl got angry "And how could I ask her to form a band with me?" she spat, while her eyeliner was still smudging under her waterlines, since she didn't remove her makeup from the night before. "How could i know? You didn't tell me you wanted to!" "I wanted to do it the other day, when we were at her store, you genius. But what were you doing instead? Buying vinyls just to flirt with her! What about your dear Marlene? What would she think of you?" Brian raised an eyebrow. "Elli, are you kidding me? Since when being kind to a woman means flirting or wanting something from her?" "Since...ever?" Brian rarely got mad in his life, but his childhood friend was managing to make his anger grow. "No, Heléne, NO. First, if you REALLY cared about forming your band, you wouldn't spend all of your mornings with Roger until 11 am, but since you KNEW I was going to drive Ronnie home this morning, you would have gotten up early too." he was getting furious. "The truth is: you're an egocentric piece of shit. And I suppose that your recent sex adventures with Roger didn't fulfill your high expectations, did they? Since you've been travelling on tour with us, you did nothing but have sex with him, and this is because if you two aren't doing it, you're always fighting! The fact that you can't have a different attitude towards him says a lot about you, and about how you think the world revolves around you. But if you want your dreams to come true, you've got to move. Things don't fall from the sky." he leaned against the wall and sighed, bringing a hand to his forehead. "I thought I could help you by carrying you with us on tour...but apparently you're just consuming your love with him in the van and it only happens when you're not arguing with him. I guess I made a mistake."<br/>
Elli was surprised to hear his friend talking to her like that, and before she could reply, Brian raised his index finger and hissed "Just so you know, you shouldn't give a heck about Marlene. How come you care so much about her? Do you have feelings for me, by chance? Why does the fact that I have other female friends besides you bother you so much?" Elli was hyperventilating. "GO TO HELL, MAY." she shouted, slapping him on his left cheek. She then entered the van again, slamming its door. Brian massaged his jaw, which became swollen and red. He sighed again but didn't seem to be regretful. Elli had always had a kind of rude behaviour even in his regards, and according to his nature, he always swallowed all the bad words she told him during the years; but he knew that sooner or later, the girl would have made him explode -- or that he would have done the same to her. Elli, on the other hand, never raised her hands on him, nor would she expect she'd find herself doing it. She stood with her back against the door and collapsed, while crying.</p><p>It was hard for her to admit it, but Brian was right about her.</p>
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